In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Aegina is a €12 ferry from Piraeus in 1 hour 10. Cape Sounion (about 2 hours) and Delphi (about 2½ hours) work by KTEL bus, and Ancient Corinth is a 68-minute train to Corinth and a bus. Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio have no train: a tour, a car or a taxi. Meteora is about 5½ hours each way by train and replacement bus, so it is a 14-hour tour or a night in Kalambaka. The big sites are €20 (Corinth €15) at one price all year, and free on 28 October and on the first and third Sundays from 1 November to 31 March. Or book a tour: Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio Tour from Athensad is from €23.97 for 11 hours, Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Tripad from €28, and the Hydra, Poros and Aegina cruisead from €123.14 (GetYourGuide).
The day trips compared
Entry prices and hours are Hellenic Heritage’s. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult, and the listings sell the entry as an option, so a tour price is the transport and the guide.
| Trip | On your own | Entry on top | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Sounion | KTEL coastal bus, about 2 hours; car about 65 minutes | €20 | €28, 5.5 hours | Open 09:30 until sunset, so the sunset tour is the usual way |
| Delphi | KTEL Fokidas from Liosion at 08:30 or 10:30, about 2½ hours | €20 for site and museum | €25.50, 10 hours | The Tholos is closed; the museum opens at 10:00 on Tuesdays in summer |
| Aegina | Saronic Ferries from Piraeus, 1 hour 10 | €10 Temple of Aphaia; ferry €12 each way | €59, 10 hours | A ferry job; the temple is 17 minutes by car from the port |
| Hydra, Poros and Aegina | Hellenic Seaways fast boats to Hydra from 1 hour 30 | None | €123.14, 12 hours | The cruise is the practical way to see all three in a day |
| Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio | No train; car about 1½ hours to Mycenae | €20 + €20, Palamidi €20 | €23.97, 11 hours | A tour, a car or a taxi |
| Ancient Corinth and the canal | Suburban railway to Corinth, 68 minutes, then a bus | €15 | €24.85, 6 hours | Closed Tuesdays in winter |
| Meteora | Intercity train and replacement bus, about 5½ hours each way | Monastery gates, cash | €72, 14 hours | A tour or a night in Kalambaka |
When a tour is worth it
A tour pays where the day is long, where several sites share a day, or where public transport does not reach. Check the option you pick, because the entries are an option on these listings.
- Sounion at sunset. Athens: Cape Sounion & Poseidon Temple Sunset Half-Day Tripad is from €28 for 5.5 hours (10,278 reviews), and Cape Sounion & Temple of Poseidon: Small Group Tourad is from €35.50 with hotel pick-up. The €20 entry is not included in either.
- Delphi. From Athens: Delphi Full Day V.R. Audio Guided Tourad is from €25.50 for 10 hours (3,579 reviews), and Athens: Delphi Oracle & Museum Tour with a Licensed Guidead is from €35.40.
- The Argolid. Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio - Journey into Greek Legendsad is from €24 for 10 hours (3,223 reviews).
- Three islands. Hydra, Poros & Aegina Cruise with Lunch - Official Operatorad is from €127.85 for 12 hours.
- Corinth and the canal. From Athens: Ancient Corinth Day Trip with Canal & VR Guidead is from €24.85 for 6 hours (1,468 reviews).
- Meteora. Athens: Meteora Day Trip with Central Pickup & Audio Guidead is from €72 for 14 hours, and Meteora Monasteries Day Trip at 9:00 AM with Caves & Lunchad is from €84 (6,297 reviews).
The trips with their own guides
Cape Sounion
€20 · 09:30 until sunset · KTEL bus about 2 hours
The Cape Sounion guide has the Temple of Poseidon, the closing time that follows the sunset, the tours and what each leaves out.
Delphi
€20 for site and museum · KTEL Fokidas 08:30 and 10:30
The Delphi guide has the bus timetable, the hours by month, the closed Tholos and the tours.
Hydra, Poros and Aegina
Cruise from €123.14 · Aegina ferry €12
The Saronic islands guide compares the 12-hour cruise with the ferries, and covers the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina.
Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio
Mycenae €20 · Epidaurus €20 · Palamidi €20 · no train
The Peloponnese guide has the hours by month, the tours and the order for the day.
Meteora
14-hour tour from €72 · or a night in Kalambaka
The Meteora guide has the honest travel time, the six monasteries, the dress code and the overnight tours.
Ancient Corinth and the Corinth Canal
Corinth is the day trip with a train. Hellenic Train’s suburban railway runs from Athens (Larissis Station) through Corinth to Kiato, about 68 minutes to Corinth, hourly, and the line crosses the canal.
The front of Larissa Station, where the Corinth suburban railway starts. Photo: C messier, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ancient Corinth
€15 · 08:00 to 20:00 in summer · closed Tuesdays from 1 November to 31 March
The ticket is €15, €8 reduced, and covers the archaeological site and the museum. The Corinth station is in the modern town, not at the site: Hellenic Heritage gives a KTEL intercity bus of 20 minutes from Corinth, or 10 minutes by car, and the site is 5 minutes on foot from the village of Ancient Corinth.
The Temple of Apollo at Ancient Corinth, with Acrocorinth behind. Photo: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1 to 30 April | 08:00 to 19:00 |
| 1 May to 31 August | 08:00 to 20:00 |
| 1 to 15 September | 08:00 to 19:30 |
| 16 to 30 September | 08:00 to 19:00 |
| 1 to 15 October | 08:00 to 18:30 |
| 16 to 31 October | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| 1 November to 31 March | 08:30 to 15:30, closed on Tuesdays |
Last admission is 20 minutes before closing. Above the village, Acrocorinth is €5 (€3 reduced), open 08:30 to 15:30 all year; it is 5 minutes by car from the village or 45 minutes on foot. Tickets are on the Hellenic Heritage page.
The Corinth Canal
6.4 km long · no locks · crossed by the railway
The canal cuts the Isthmus of Corinth and is 6.4 km long, with no locks. Tours stop at it: From Athens: Ancient Corinth Day Trip with Canal & VR Guidead is from €24.85 for 6 hours, leaving from four central points between 08:15 and 08:40, and Corinth Canal Cruise, Ancient Corinth & Acrocorinth Tourad is a private tour from €160 for 6 to 8 hours.
The Corinth Canal from a bridge, between its vertical limestone walls. Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
State sites: prices, hours and free days
Hellenic Heritage runs the ticket shop for the Ministry of Culture’s sites. Prices are the same all year.
| Site | Full | Reduced | Hours from 1 November to 31 March |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Sounion | €20 | €10 | 09:30 until sunset |
| Delphi, site and museum | €20 | €10 | 08:30 to 15:30 |
| Mycenae, with the museum and the Treasury of Atreus | €20 | €10 | 08:30 to 15:30 |
| Epidaurus, with the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the museum | €20 | €10 | 08:00 to 17:00, and to 18:00 in March |
| Palamidi fortress, Nafplio | €20 | €10 | 08:30 to 15:30 |
| Ancient Corinth, with the museum | €15 | €8 | 08:30 to 15:30, closed Tuesdays |
| Temple of Aphaia, Aegina | €10 | €5 | 10:00 to 17:30 |
| Tiryns | €10 | €5 | 08:30 to 15:30 |
| Acrocorinth | €5 | €3 | 08:30 to 15:30 |
From 1 April to 31 October the big sites open at 08:00 and close at 19:00 in April, at 20:00 from May to August, and earlier through September and October to 18:00; Sounion keeps to sunset. Last admission is 20 minutes before closing. All close on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December.
Tickets for Sounion, Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Palamidi and the Temple of Aphaia are sold for a date and time: the shop marks them “timed entry required”, and changes are allowed up to 2 hours before the visit, twice at most. Entry is free for everyone on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March. Children under 18 are free. Free entry for under-25s is for EU citizens only, so visitors aged 18 to 25 from the UK, US, Canada and Australia pay in full. The Acropolis and the city sites follow the same free days: see free things to do in Athens.
Before you choose a day
| Where | Limited or closed |
|---|---|
| All state sites | Closed 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December |
| Delphi | Tholos closed; museum opens at 10:00 on Tuesdays from April to October; no KTEL Fokidas buses at Christmas, New Year or Easter |
| Ancient Corinth | Closed on Tuesdays from 1 November to 31 March |
| Aegina | The Scientific Collection at the Temple of Aphaia is closed on Tuesdays |
| Sounion | Closes at sunset, about 17:10 in December |
| Boats | Ferries run late or are cancelled in strong winds |
| Meteora | Each monastery has its own opening hours |
The weather, the heat closures and the dates that change a trip are in the best time to visit Athens. Athens airport to the city and Athens public transport cover the first and last day and the stations the trips leave from. What to book before you go to Athens lists the city tickets and the entry rules for Greece, Athens in one or two days shows where a day trip fits between them, and where to stay in Athens compares the areas. In the city, Athens walking tours and the Athens city pass compared fit the days between trips. Rome and Istanbul are the other Mediterranean city guides here, with their own day trips from Rome and day trips from Istanbul.
Common questions
What is the easiest day trip from Athens?
Aegina by Saronic Ferries: 1 hour 10 minutes from Piraeus for €12 each way. Cape Sounion by the KTEL coastal bus (about 2 hours) and Delphi by the KTEL Fokidas bus (about 2½ hours, 08:30 and 10:30 daily) also work without a tour. Ancient Corinth is 68 minutes by suburban railway to Corinth, then a bus.
Which Athens day trips need a tour or a car?
Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio: no train reaches them, and the sites are 30 minutes or more apart. Meteora is about 5½ hours each way by train and replacement bus, so a tour (14 hours) or a night in Kalambaka is the sensible choice. Hydra, Poros and Aegina in one day is a cruise.
How much do the archaeological sites cost?
€20 at Sounion, Delphi (site and museum), Mycenae, Epidaurus and Palamidi; €15 at Ancient Corinth; €10 at Tiryns and the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina; €5 at Acrocorinth. They are one price all year.
When are the archaeological sites free?
On 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March, for everyone. EU citizens under 25 and all children under 18 are always free; visitors aged 18 to 25 from the UK, US, Canada and Australia pay.
What is closed on the Athens day trips?
All the state sites close on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December. The Delphi museum opens at 10:00 on Tuesdays from April to October, the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia at Delphi is closed, and Ancient Corinth is closed on Tuesdays from 1 November to 31 March.
